10 Books You Should Read (Because they’re my Favourite)

Somehow, after a long time of blogging about books, I’ve never written a post about my favourite books. Or at least the top 10, which I think is a narrow enough margin to make sure they’re my most loved. So, without further ado, let’s look at some of the books I read that I will never, ever stop thinking about.

Two On a Tower by Thomas Hardy

Who said required/assigned reading could not be fun? I’m a big fan of Victorian literature. One of the very few times I’ve found forbidden love acceptable, Hardy’s Two On a Tower tells the story of star-crossed lovers with the vastness of astronomy as the predominant theme throughout. The married Lady Constantine falls in love with Swithin St. Cleeve, an astronomer ten years younger than her. The novel is packed with some of my favourite aspects of Victorian literature, like melodrama and sensationalism, but it also contains the flippant sexism of the time which is somewhat challenged by Hardy’s story. Though only just. If you’re into Victorian literature, I’d give it a try. Though if not, I probably would not recommend it.

A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

What if you could stay beautiful forever? What if you could be ageless and unblemished by life for the small price of your soul and your transgressions being recorded in a portrait? This is exactly what happens in A Picture of Dorian Gray, in which the pretty young man Dorian has his portrait painted by an artist, Basil Hallward. Dorian then meets an aristocrat, Lord Wotton and buys into the hedonistic lifestyle, forsaking a life of quiet and virtue for one of sensual fulfilment, one that his portrait will pay the price for. A stunning novel of beauty, morality, and the price of living in excess, I’d recommend A Picture of Dorian Grey to anyone.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Call me basic, but the setting and the aesthetic of this novel will always call to me. It’s set in the 1920’s on Long Island, depicting Nick Carraway’s experiences getting to know a millionaire, Jay Gatsby as he attempts to regain the affections of a former lover, Daisy Buchanan. It’s such a popular book that I don’t think much more needs to be said.

Lady Audley’s Secret by Elizabeth Braddon

As one of the first sensation novels I read, this book introduced me to the genre and I’m beyond grateful for it. I would hate to reveal too much of the plot in my summary, but the novel follows the recently married, blonde-haired Lady Audley who it is suggested looks as innocent as can be. She is, however, not, but I’ll say nothing beyond the fact that Braddon combines crime, psychological thriller, and romance to create a gripping masterpiece and I’m obsessed.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I love crime fiction, and for this one, I would recommend you go in as blind as possible for multiple reasons. I can vividly recall the feeling of reading this for the first time and by the time I did I had read a decent amount of crime fiction, and it instantly became my favourite. Eight people are unexpectedly invited to a private island and accused of murder. Deliciously toe-curling suspense ensues. My one issue with this book is the history of its name, which was changed, and with spectacularly good reason.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The first YA to make this list thanks to its memorable characters and unique plot and setting, Six of Crows (and its sequel, Crooked Kingdom) is probably my favourite Fantasy story I’ve ever read. It’s a story about a 17-year-old Kaz Brekker bringing together a group of six outcasts (himself included) after he is offered a chance at a dangerous heist. Drama, magical matter manipulation, found family, what more could you want?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This book. It took my lungs and squeezed them until I couldn’t breathe, took my heart and broke it, and other such clichés. I cried reading this. I cried real tears. I felt for these characters more than I had ever felt for any characters in my life. It is the story of the awkward and cast-out Patroclus and Achilles, the great Greek hero, and their bond and battle with fate. If you like Greek Mythology and tears smudging the ink of your books, this one is for you.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

I wouldn’t ever describe myself as intelligent or talented, so I find that I enjoy reading about people who are, or at least behave as though they think they are, and this book provides one of those situations. If We Were Villains is told from the perspective of Oliver Marks who has served ten years in prison for a murder he may not have committed. Oliver tells the story of what happened all those years ago when he and six other young (and incredibly pretentious) actors were studying Shakespeare at an elite college and one of them was found dead. There is an order to their usual casting, but tensions rise when that order changes. I am obsessed. Literally obsessed. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll also understand that seeing your name in or on a book sparks childish joy.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Unfortunately for this book, it held the top spot until I read the next book for the first time in 2020. The Handmaid’s Tale was another book I was made to read, this time at school during my A-levels, and I loved it. It’s about Offred, a handmaid in Gilead, a place in which fertile women are forced to procreate with highly placed men called Commanders due to a decline in births. Her life is no longer her own, and she tells of her life as a handmaid against the backdrop of her recent past of freedom. I love the way it’s written, the dry humour weaved in throughout; I love that the narrator is not afraid to admit her mistakes and her weaknesses, I love the entire concept. It’s terrifying and heart-breaking in its truth and one of my favourite things about the book was how open the ending was… until Atwood wrote a sequel that is.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

I am obsessed with this book. It is everything I adore in one book. It’s as though all the best bits from the books I’ve mentioned before were combined to make it. It’s a story of a nameless (I repeat, nameless) heroine, who meets and marries a wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter. They meet in Monte Carlo when she is working as a lady’s maid, but once married they return to his estate in the country where everything seems haunted by his late wife, driving a wedge between them. It’s gothic, filled with mystery, an interesting romance, and we don’t know the heroine’s name. I cannot stress to you how much I adore this book, nor how perfect it is to me. But don’t watch the recent remake of the film if you want it to be like the book. It will disappoint.

That’s it for my list, we’ve reached the end of my ramblings. I hope there’s at least one book on there that piqued your interest and do let me know if there’s any you share my obsession with.